fiugimtl ©flmraumtatiflttk LETTER FROM 'WEST AFRICA. Gaboon, West Africa, 1 October 20, 1868. J Dear Bro. Mears:—l doubt not, the ex treme hot weather that prevailed in the United States in July and August, when the last mail left, reminded you and many of the readers of the Presbyterian, of this Equatorial region, where, beneath a torrid sun, we are laboring to transform a portion of Afric’s moral Sahara to a spiritually fruitful field, where the plants of righteousness may flourish and the Rose of Sha ron bloom. In many respects it is a hard field, and a difficult and arduous work, that sorely tests the faith and patient endurance of those who have long “ borne the burden and heat of the day,” in a temperature ranging but little lower alb the year, than that referred to during the hot days last summer. Although the sun seldom inflicts a fatal stroke here, and the wilt ing, scorching influence, of its rays is modified by alternate land and sea breezes, and frequently, by a hazy atmosphere in the. day, and frequent showers in the; wet season,—yet it must be ad mitted that the continual heat, from month to month and year to year, with scarcely a, percepti ble variation, is debilitating, causing one to sigh for the tonic air/ and even frosts and chilling blasts of a. northern clime. These you will be enjoying when this reaches you. ; Thus rapidly the seasons succeed each other,- and the wheels of time roll the years around. Almost seven have passed; since my last interrview with you, when, if I remember correctly, you asked me to write you after my return to this mysterious land concerning which you heard me speak at the .Presbytery meeting in Delaware. As I take \my pen to comply, at ;this late day, with your request, I am reminded of that meet ing, where we consulted respecting the: interests of the Redeemer’s; Kingdom in Christian and in heathen lands;, not forgetting the iwelfare of our imperilled country, then engaged in a life and death struggle with slavery and rebellion. These were memorable times, that stirred to their depths the hearts pf Christians, and patriots, and incited to deeds of heroic faithuand valor. So deeply; had I become, interested in those scenes, during a visit to my native land, it was no small trial to .respond to duty’s call to return, an.d resume the moral warfare in this land-, in which I had enlisted a score of years before. But confident of the final triumph of our glorious cause, on Which depended the welfare of Ame rica, and, in a great measure, the redemption of Africa, I returned, to her dark shores, from which/from year, to year, I,have witnessed the grand results that have followed : a crushed re bellion, a restored union, the emancipation of millions of bondmen, and. their subsequent en franchisement, and last, bat, not least, the sup pression of the nefarious Slave. Trade. With emphasis, may we say, “among the heathen,” “The Lord hath done great things for us whereof we are glad;” The great things which God in his wonder working providence has wrought in' the 1 United States, have a world-wide influence; but more especially have they a'bearing upon the welfare of Africa, and upon her sable children on her soil, and wherever they may have been seattered and peeled-among the nations. This influence for good is beginning to he felt, and will go on in accumulating power, until Africa, throughout, her vast domain, shall have been enlightened, and her down-trodden and despised sons shall stand up in their restored,manhood, and occupy the place among the nations to which they were de signed by the Creator, who hath “made of one blood all the nations of men, for to dwell upon all the face of the earth.” , The abolition,of slavery in the United States, and the suppression of the slave traffic along this coast, has already placed the native African in an entirely different position from that which he occupied.bat a few. years ago,—different, in the eyes of , white men, and in his own self-estima tion.! Formerly he was regarded too generally only a little above the brute creation, and valued only in proportion to the price of human bone, and flesh, and sinews, at the slave factory on the. coast, the slave mart in Cuba, or the plantation in America; and so long had he been,depressed and chattelized, that to a lamentable degree he had learned to acquiesce in this view, and, to con sider himself only.as, the lawful prey of the white man. I never 'met with, a piratical slave trader who seemed to have any compunctions,of con science for trading in men, any more than in monkeys or goats; but now, even those who would gladly enrich : themselves ; by the base trade, if they could with impunity, regard the matter in a, different light; since they have no longer the moral influence of Christian, Republican America to.sustain them; and the natives themselves have learned to lpokupon themselves as men, possessed of inalienable rights which even white men must respect. x No longer a commodity of trade himself, the native is .beginning to .develop the inexhaustible riches in various valuable resources, of his native, land, and furnish, .them to, commerce, which is rqpidly increa?ing, and,is destined, to, .rival,jthat of the most favored portions of the globe. Thus the act of mercy and justi-e that has, we may THE AMERICAN PRESBYTERIAN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 7, 1869. hope, saved our beloved country from ruin, and dried up Afric’s tears, and turned her wail of woe to thankful songs of joy, is reacting, by en riching the world. Not only do vessels from almost every commercial nation visit this coast to bear away her oils and gums, her dye-woods and India rubber, her ivory, and golden sands, but steamers are traversing her rivers and lagoons, and two lines of monthly steamers from Europe now pass up and down the coast, and the third is expected to commence its'trips in a few months. And as under these auspices, together with mis sionary enterprises, Africa becomes known and valued for her rich natural treasures, multitudes of her scattered children and their descendants will return from their dispersions, laden with the knowledge and riches of other lands. Thus God in his providence is favoring Africa and causing the fulfilment of prophetic promises, upon which her friends have trusted duririg her long night of weeping, lamentation and woe'. And with this dawning of a brighter day,' the Church is called upon to renew and increase her efforts, to cause the Sun of Righteousness to'arise with healing in his wings, to bless all her benighted tribes and nations. 'ln the dark period of the past, amid perils and death, a few devoted pio neers, with martyr spirit, have planted the standard of the Cross at many points along the coast, from the northern tropics to the equator, and unfurled 1 , its peaceful banner over many interior wilds; There, as every where, the gospel has been the power of God and wisdom of God unto Salvation to many. It has wrought wonders already, and' is destined to triumph over Mohammedati bigoiry, and the dark and bloody systems of superstition that prevail—to banish the bloody customs where human flood has'flowed in streams'; demolish' juju altars and temples, lined and paved with' human skulls ; destroy the' cannibal’s savage ap petite, and spiritually change 'the tiger to the peaceful lamb. i, In a limited degree, all this has been witnessed as an earnest of its universal completion. • But now all these missions are 'languishing through lack of men and means to carry them on, and' prayer and faith to give them greatest prosperity. Will not Christians awake to thewants of Africa, and pray that Ethiopia may hot in vain stretch out her hands unto God, and that the cry;' “ Come over and help us,” from her toil-worn and weary missionaries may not longer be unhCeied? Fraternally yours in Christ,' Albert Bushnell. REV. A. M. STEWART'S LETTERS.-XXyil, White Pine District, Nevada, Nov. 1868., squatter sovereignty. This peculiarly American institution has allready received several brief notices in my communica tions ; yet would iuotia volume serve to exhaust hll its curious land interesting developments.. In its operations h series of amusing incidents are at this time occurring in the expansion I of; Treasure City. . ’ n i. ii, I.' It will be remembered that the ' United States Government claims an original title to all new and unsettled territory ; yet offers .none : for; > sale 'until regularly surveyed. I This has; hot yet been done in Nevada; owing, perhaps^.to its location being so distant, its boundaries so extensive, or perhaps from the impression that the land is too valueless, to pay the expenses of survey; Under these con ditions, the Legislature of Nevada has exercised a kind, of State Sovereignty and-made quasi laws concerning land settlements; guaranteeing to the original occiipantgi that when Uncle Sam does come along with fis claim, the squatter shall have the first refusal. Anothet law has also been enact ed, authorizing any certaipj number,of men to form a company, and .wherever desired within the State, lav ont a town or city and sell the lots, subject to the original jurisdiction of the United States. Such a company laid out Treasure City, and claims State authority to sell the lots. A few days since, several. hundred sovereigns imbibed, the notion that Treasure City was abont to become, a large concern; and that if they irere not Uncle Sam, they were at least part ; of; the old Gentleman; and moreover,that Nevada lajys. and self-constituted committees for locating;cities’ were a humbug. Acting on these, 'premises, ,a simultaneous rush, was made for every vacant place called a lot in or near the embryo .city.. Presently a “Sovereign” could be - seen on 'each space of ground, twenty-five by, a hundred feet and claiming it as his by virtue of squatting—. jumping, it is here termed. Wo betide the per son who should attempt to interfere! Not only' the,individual squatter objected to, but all;the squatters combined, would rise against the coun ter-claimant. For .days and nights together- these .jumpers remained upon their locations^—a bare piece of rock perhaps;—until they made : improvements thereon, understanding that, by this process their titles would be fully established. The word im provement is one of the most indefinite; in our whole vocabulary. Some dug small ditches around their new.premises; others rows of stones; some stuck in small stakes and .drew a cord around—here was a hole in .the. ground, there a fear .boards, and yonder an.old/tent,-These were all “ improvements.”. , . On the morrow • after the, lpcation has been completed, the lot is, offered jfor, sa|e .and soon has a purchaser. ‘ The buyer paying according to .lo cation from (fifty, to a ,tho,usand dollars in coinj— money always in hand before the squatter leaves. For which sum he gives his own individual sov ereign quit-claim deed. LAWLESS YET LAWFUL. Here is a mixed multitude hastily thrown to gether, with canflicting interests, in a new and far distant section, almost without the semblance of civil officer or regular administration of statute law. Keen, active, intelligent, selfish, unsancti fied; and each too independent and self-willed to be direeted by his fellow. And yet there is order amidf this confusion, with security of life and pro perty; and no more outbreaks, or acts of encroach ment or violence than in a similar number of our Eastern communities. Five hundred voters were in the new city on Presidential.election day, hundred .more too, recently ;9ome to vote. ' There was no mayor, sheriff, constable or police.; PoMea! matters ran high; yet ; no,out}?r§alc, po act; qfj violence;jno ac tual disorder occurred;: ■ These things speak volumes in'behalf of our Americap institutions.;-, Those, .rugged, .adventu rous ;ipen aa;e chMacteriz»d'[by..a,re l %dy o obadience to law, . There is power and influence whiph; prompts and; directs any number of Amer icans, when beyqnd the--rea-eh: of, former jurisdic tions., immediately, without noise, bustle or con fusion, and seemingly without effort,, to put in mo tion all the elements of a Republican government; and to yield obedience to the powers that, be though no written law may designate thqir codes; Very hopeful this for our/future as a. people. On FOR GOSPEL LEAVEN ! The only element lacking in order to rink this mass of intelligent, open-hearted, energetic ' men in the highest scale whjcb humanity has yet reach ed, is the Gospel of Jesus Christ with its convict ing, converting and sanctifying power. Nor are there any more barrierC between the ambassador of Christ'arid these strange, money-hunting com munities than others—'riot even,so ininy as in' moat. The minister' of Jesus must however come to these ipen’with' the simple, earnest Gospelines sage—nothing else, Unfortunately, there is scarcely an important mining-camp in Nevada, in which the minds of the people Have not been poisoned against the Gospel by professed ’ minis 7 ters of Christ, coming as 'scientific men, as agents for Eastern companies, as-prospectors, or mine brokers; and in order to help'their ( jvori(fly riess, preaching occasionally, The forbid this traffic in‘the Gospel. “Even the true mes senger ot Christ on account oT things'is at first looked'ujpo'ri wM Snkpieio'n: ’ ■ ’ ‘ ' ' j/j l ’ .\ A,M. Stewart. • •- " nrSißATlou. 1 ’ I have long agri observed that the passage ten dered “ All Script&C is given by inspiration of God, a'nd is profitable for doctrine,” &c:, has a GrCek reading whiCh oinits the za£-'(and); and doing so, the original may very ■ literally be ren- : dered “ Every Gdd-irisplred ! 'writing'is profita ble.” ’Should’the xai he ’retained, it may be rendered; “And 1 every l God-inspired writing is profitable/’ 1 &c. !ti Snch ’i rendering will agree'bet ter with the punctuation given" by Griesbach, which is entirely different from that' in 1 the com- mon version', and it serves to connect it with' this preceding verse; ! -In that verse the-writer tells Timothy, that frorii a*child, hehad knownthe' holy-writings, and then he adds “ Every God inspired writing iS'-profitablel”' s ! In this place our translators have more elosely'followed'Beza than the original; T find that the translations of the Vulgate,- Erasinus, De ! Sacy,' the - Spanish translation, and others agree with me. -They had then, as-we have now, writings which were not God-inspired. Those which 5 were; whether the language was that of God, angels, men or devils,- give us ! a true, faithful, 5 God-inspitod record.- The record is true 1 -and faithful, whether that which is 1 written; is true or not. If - the- language is God’s, it is,true; if the devil's, it is like him self; 5 if men’s, it may be' true or not, but;-in eith er ease, the record is -a -faithful,' God-given one'. In the New Testament, the-expression. is‘ com mon, “ That spoken* through Isaiah ”(Matih. 8 :* 17, &e.); ‘‘ Through David’s-mouth;” <Jda<rrfl,uardv (Acts 1:16, &C;). ’’ d/a, with 1 the genitive, de notes the relation! J(>f‘efficient cause/ -Man was the instrument, -God the speaker. ‘H’e - spoke* through the mouth of 'David, and’ through the moffths of the-prophets, as a-man speaks through a speaking trumpet, or as he plays a tune through an instrument; The player ' was .the efficient cause, the organ the instrument. - The tune is’ as s really liis, as if he had* sung’ it. So, in -Inspira tion, the prophet was the insi;runient, God' tlie;ef cient cause of theispeaking and writing. Hence the Bible is 'God’s word, and-God’s writing.' Hence we are told of those holy mien, that they’ “ spake as they were moved by the 'Holy Ghost,” (-2 Peter, 1: 21). The preposition used in the 5 original is one which points out the agency or causation as the - 'The s Greek scholar will also observe that' the word moved "is not strong enough to express the force-oflthe original. - Ordinary Christians are,'taught, illuminated; and it may be, • directed by the Holy- Spirit, but not inspired. They may utter ; great and glorious truths, s but we cannot say-the - Holy- Spirit speaks through, them. - They are not mere instruments of the Spirit. RevelatiohaJwere-- usually made s to men in- an i ecstatic or-pneutAatie .'state.- ‘ - Ek eestas'ev, and- e» prieuntaii; are .the, lertns'' r 'nsed)i to' gxgtoto ■? that > state. It seems to be a .kind of .an elc.ctfoid'' state. We are told by scientific men, that everything in nature, even elec ricity, emits a something which is analagous to electricity —an electroid or magnetoid. Hitchcock says, “It is most mani fest in powerful magnets ; next in crystals, and exists in the human body, the sun, moon, stars, heat, electricity, chemical action, and in fact, the whole material universe. Those most sensitive to its influence are persons of feeble health, especially somnambulists; but it is found that about one third of individuals, taken promiscu ously, and many in good health are sensible of it.” There are parts of the earth where streams of this electroid have been constantly sent forth as at Delphi. “Sheep and goats coming near that particular spot were sensibly affected by it.” The ecstatic state appears ito have been one in which the subject is more or less under the influ ence of this electroid—-an electroid ; state. As Dr. Hitch cock 'states, some persons are more susceptible, or more easily thrown under its in fluence, than' others. There ire 1 times when elec troid derarigCraents appear to be epidemic. Also tidies, plices knff eifeumstahiies appear to be productive of it.' Thus tHepla&e where the tri pod at Delphi was placed’ appears tb have beeri certain to produce ecslacy. The'mountains are more so than the plalus; : 'and ; whcre ’there was great subterranean chemical action than iwhere there is none. When in the presence of ecsta ti'cs there were those who were liable to fall into 1 that state, viz., Sabi among the prophets. When more of less in that state, the person be comes subject to the will of another, or is liable te become so. Whenin the ele'otroid or ecstatic state,' the' ecstatic? become the “instrument, and the one with whom they are in rapport is the agent. Whenin that'state, wicked spirits if permitted of God, would speak through them. Hence a wicked spirit, being permitted, became a lying spirit'in' the fnbdth of all of Ahab’s prophet?. The prophets of Baal, when calling on him from morning till noon, became so ecstatic that they prophesied. I '' 1 1 The true prophets, when in the ecstatic state, were moved by the Holy Ghost; - but false prophets' were moved by fallen spirits. As there was a similarity in the ecstacy, the people were often at a' loss to kno w whether a man was a true 1 or, a false, prophet. As Baal had prophets who were really ecstatics,' abff spiriis -1 spoke through them, maiay thought-^Haai'mUstf 1 be a God. 'ln' jlbwbf (if pagabraih. 1 1 1 Ai'lo Ihe'marked'chaViCterMicS of stylcy &e., ih'diffefeni wfifers it;'may ! hy said that, 1 however ecstatic' ‘Site' may have been‘, J - there' ■ wad always something of his iflentitydb be seen“in' 1 hlS'-wri-' tings, or in the Revelation made through , him, So, the most akilful musician' may play a tune on an organ, then on a piano or any ’other lnstru- ment,' and you Have' no difficulty in distinguish ing the instrument. The performer may be the same, the tune the same, and yet there is a marked' difference between - that played on the organ, and that played on some other instrument. No skill of the musician can - eon'ceal the instrit ment' So, though it was the' same Holy Ghost that moved and 'spake through Peter, John, Paul and others, yoii have no difficulty in telling the one'from the other. ' James Eerr. TWO PARLORS, I have been lately. in two parlors, which left •an impression on my mind, .each, in its own, way. Not exactly as extremes, for I can imagine , far greater, qontrasts in, style than these? roomp pre sented—but as each conveying, in its silent, lan guage, asjlessopjtofthe heart that: would receive it. Let,me a descrbie; them, , ■. - bpth these parlorp, I enhanced to, b,e, left alone long enough to look .around nie pretty tlior-. oughly, and to. deliberate, upon, what I saw. The first one. which I will,describe, was,what would be called a very 'handsome room:,, The carpet was rich, and/.softr—the chtiirs and,,sofas., were com-, foptable in, slope, and ,elegant;in' carving, apd up holstering—tables, of marble and rosewood stood ijere, and ,there—.a large, mirror,with rosewood frame ’hung above, the mantel, and pier-glasses filled the .spaces between the windows. Various smaller articles of beauty and value .were seat-, tered arojind—nothing was there which was; commoner ; offensive to Tcfined tapte. , .Heavy curtains,fell fr.om.handsome,, cornices, ;an,d swept the .floor with their rich folds. Good taste, order, and elegance prevailed. Yet I was not pleased. Well, Por,cas, somebody says, then you must be hard to please, that is' certain., What more would,you have, t ; . I will tell you what I would have. Two things—.one of which is in my view indispensa ble, the other almost so. The first is light, the second pictures— good paintings if possible, if not, good engravings, photographs, somethin/}. But light, God’s sunlight, is the sine qua non in my humble estimation. The parlor I. have, been describing was dark and gloomy. p 0 r a few moments after I entered, I could hardly see any object distinctly, so little light, was admitted through , the curtained windows. It had no cheerful, home like, ' happy look. ‘ Bare \valls stared, at .me on every side,so blankly; that I longed to cover them with something that was pleasant to look at. I, could not help .thinkmo that any.uian wh6 a£le to furnish i parlor as 9?.« affpvd a few ,QCsp^e, I kind ; Vj[ won&r If he fe&H !^Me^fcQw.,mii C h chce'rfiii' his 1 parlor would look. Then‘if that excellent w'o? man, his wife, would let in a littla-of ( ,]v blessed light—she -need not fade u she is judicious—so that people can see her pretty things, (and the pictures when they come.; I, for one, shall be better satisfied. I know that parlors, as a general thing, are not to live in ; that up stairs or out of the way somewhere, there is a cozy, comfortable little room where .the family live—where their real tastes and habits are manifest, and where all that makes home is to be found. But still I would have the parlor attractive in its cheerfulness for those,who come in from outside; and suiiliglit and pictures-are wonderful helps to this restflfc. But I must not forget that I spoke of another parlor. In this room there was no rosewood, not much marble, there were no bronzes, no ■ hand some mirrors—the furniture was old-fashioned, though comfortable—the carpet was bright and pretty, but not costly, and there were no orna ments of much value about the room.' I ’will tell you what there was, however, that was more beautiful in my'eyes' than all these things put together. . The sun looked in at the windows, and was not forbidden ; Wwak only restrained from too great boldneSS by a 'light Curtain ; and he touched everything with His -gentle finger, and it t smiled back at him. A vase of fresh flowers, though it was late in the autumn, stood oh-an old fashioned pier-table, and a basket of growing-plants hung in one window. A number of 'engraving? and photographs, With two or three fine old portraits, gave the walls a voice in the general welcome with which it seemed to me the whole room met me as I entered. Am I •, ? i very hard to please, when all this suited me so exactly? In- which of these two parlors would you yourself rather pay a visit ? And bear with me a moment longer, while I .. rf , . , * ° * put in a word on a subject closely connected with this. 1 mean the custom of shutting out every ray of light from house where a death has taken away a member of the family. It may be well and suitable to darken the house at the time of the death and the funeral—it- accords with the feelings of the mourning family, and with the hush and the shadow that is over the house, suspending many of its usual occupations. But to shut out God’s beautiful light for weeks and months,' making darkness and gloom to reigti within, depressing- every one who enters thei'doors, inclining the 'stricken hearts which are trying to return to their customary life, to look continually at the loss’ and’ the sadness, rather than to the tender mercies of the dear Father above, who afflicts only for our good— where is the propriety or the' good effect of a custom which does this ? Especially is it unfitting, where the one whom God’has taken was a believer in Je?us, and has gone to he with his Saviour in a home of' bliss and glory. We believe be is far happier and better in that blessed world. We mourn for the loss of his companionship here; but would he have ns, or would the blessed Saviour to whom he has gone, have us make the earthly home Which be has left as dark and gloomy as possi ble ? ' Let ub rather admit the cheering light of day —look up to the heaven whence it comes, and while'we listen to Him ;who says, “I am the Light of ! the world,” let 1 us open our hearts and our homes to the material light which he has made to bless us. lAt all times, in sorrow and in joy, let us do this, and we shall be better and .happier for it. Dorcas Hicks. Take heed to thine own heart; there thou .wilt find all evil; there only can°t thou meet 'with God; and with all good.— Wm. Law. Romanist.—The correspondent of The London Times, says in a recent letter from Madrid: "I be lieve the re-action is fully as much against the Ro man Catholic religion as against the Bourbons. 1 It is singular that the reaction against the priests! is even stronger here than it was in Italy. There nunpbereot the priests were with the people, and joined in their processions and rejoicings. Many who were known to have-been zealous in the'Austri an cause naturally abstained for a time from going out, or from taking any ‘part in the, public rejoic ings; but as a whole, the priests'identified tkem selvee with the people. Here, as I have eaid, the reverse in the case, and I have not seen a single priest abroad since the movement began.” This last statement must evidently 'be qualified. Tlie Government of China has recently restored to the •Jesuitsail the. estates which were confiscated when they were driven out two hundred years ago. Their position then.was high,—and < with the increased value of this property, they have now become by this act possessed .of incalculable wealth. —The Romanists are erecting in Caiiton a cathedral which is to cost $3,000,000, and another qnite as magnifi cent and costly in Pekin. The Jesuits there are numerous, and adopt the full Chinese dress and habits. They shave the forehead, and not the crown, just as the Chinese sh.ave theirs. Sir John Bowring says that Romanism stands a fair chance to gain possession of the whole country. —A etatis tK-l-ork, of some authority, recently published by M. Ch. Sauveatre, and entitled 11 Les Congrega tions Religieuses,” states the number of females in French convents to be ninety thousand, . 11 more than before the Revolution. 1 ” The same writer also says that two millions of children out of four are educated in schools-belonging I 'to these estab lishments. The number of converts is twelve thou sand and four, according to the official statement of 1861.—The people of a certain parish in France were complained of for their lack of zeal in benev olent enterprises ; to which ; they replied: “We have no priests to take the lead, and tell us how to act. Our priests are excellent men in their way, but they cannot step out of their- routine.” The Court of Rome gave notice, through the Nuncio at Ma drid, that it-is opposed to the establishment of re ligious liberty in bpaih. p in-return for the compli ment, the populace .burned the Concordat in flout of the Papal NvricioVPalace at Madrid.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers